Boise State athletic director says Broncos still plan to join Big East

6:55 p.m. EST, May 21, 2012|

By Iliana Limón Romero | Orlando Sentinel

PONTE VEDRA BEACH – Boise State athletic director Mark Coyle reiterated the Broncos are still headed to the Big East during the league's spring meetings Monday.

During the past two weeks, Boise State reportedly considered staying in the Mountain West Conference because it was struggling to find a home for its non-football sports. It planned to move them into the Western Athletic Conference, but the league has been decimated by conference realignment and it's unclear whether the WAC will be able to host Boise State teams in the future. The Big West was resistant to adding a new member based outside the state of California, but fellow Big East newcomer San Diego State has stepped in to help support the Broncos' bid.

"Obviously they made a decision five months ago to join the Big East Conference and nothing has changed," said Coyle, who was hired after Boise State opted to change conferences starting in 2013. "We're here at the Big East meetings and it's great to learn a great deal about the conference and its direction."

Big East interim commissioner Joe Bailey said the league is committed to helping Boise State.

"Boise clearly has a situation with their Olympic sports and they're trying like mad to figure out the best way to handle that," Bailey said. "Obviously that's happened because of the issues with the WAC. We, the conference, are going to do everything we possibly can to help them.

"I talk to the [Boise State] president [Bob Kustra] all the time. But if you're going to ask whether there's any kind of uneasiness as far as the Big East is concerned, absolutely not. … They are fully committed to the Big East. There's no question about it."

While conference leaders say they are excited about all their new members, including UCF, Boise State clearly has the strongest football reputation and adds the most prestige to the embattled conference.

Bailey declined to say whether the Big East was willing to provide financial support and help buy Boise State's non-football sports a spot in the Big West. He said current conference members would ultimately decide the best way to help Boise State make a smooth transition into the Big East.

"They've got a situation where we hope they can get that all worked out," Bailey said. "And if we can help them in any way, we're sure going to help them."